cleckman

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So hard to believe that it has been 11 months since my surgery, so much as changed. I am much healthier, happier, and thinner! My knees are fantastic! I haven't been back for cortizone shots in six months, I'm excercising, walking the dog, and enjoying life so much more.

We leave for Hawaii tomorrow morning and it will be my first time in an airline seat since the surgery. Funny thing is that now that I could fit, my wonderful son-in-law decided to upgrade us to first class so I won't be able to tell the difference! However, I'm sure I'll have much more energy to enjoy our vacation.

I still have problems getting all my water and protein in but I do my best. I go back next month for my one-year check up and I'm a little concerned about my labs since I've been off taking my vitamins too.

I would do this all over again if I had to, but I hope it's for life!

Well I'm at 160 still size 10 (sometimes 8)...feel great...I've been excercising too! I have lots and lots of loose skin...thinking of surgery...but it's really expensive so I'll probably deal with it for a year or two...and then who knows, I may be too old to care anymore ;-)

I still have good restriction most of the time...crackers are my slider food and I've been bad lately...so I have to be really careful. I still avoid pasta and breads but not crackers ;-)

I wouldn't change a thing, except maybe the obsession that everyone has with my weight loss...I really don't care for all the attention...it kind of makes me feel sad about how horrible I must have looked for everyone to be so shocked or impressed with how I look now...I know its kind of twisted.

Bottom line is I feel great...oh and I forgot to tell you, I'm going to Hawaii in a month! Yeah me...never been...no bikinis but lots of smaller clothes!

Hugs, Cathy

Okay, so I didn't exactly post right at month 9 but life has been busy. Taking a biology class with a lab at my age is quite a challenge. We're also doing some renovation around the house. Back to VSG...

On July 3rd, I actually went under my doctor's goal weight of 164 at 163.8. However, that didn't last long as I began to regain a few pounds. I'm not exactly sure what happened...I actually think I wasn't eating /drinking enough and my body started to shut down on the weight loss front. I'm happy to say by the end of the month I was actually back down to the 163....and I'm now at 161.4 as of this morning (8/8/11). I still think I'd like to end up 150 to 155lbs but not sure how real that will be for me unless I have some of the loose skin removed. Of course, the breast implants may add weight ;-) If I ever get to have them.

I'm proud to say that I have joined a excercise class at work two days a week I get my but kicked...still working on what to do the rest of the week, but I'm getting there.

I'm in a 10 and could even go to a size 8 in dress pants (not jeans) and wear a Medium top in most things. I don't think I'll get any smaller on the top since I'm pretty boney there already. If I get a tummy tuck, I'm sure the 8's will fit in most styles. I can't believe I'm even typing this...a size 8 was never in my wildest dreams...size 14 was my dream size!

This surgery has been a lifesaver and I have no regrets! I hope everyone who reads this has great success with their own weight loss journey.

Hugs! Cathy

At exactly eight months I weighed in at 168.6...the last 1 1/2 months to 2 months have been really slooooooow weight loss but the scales are starting to move again. My doctor gave me a goal weigh tof 164 lbs so I'm under 5 lbs away at only 8 months....I feel pretty good about that but I think I will go down further than 164....hopefully 150-155.

Everyone tells me how "skinny" I look, I think I look more "normal" weight and perhaps even "skinny" at least compared to what I used to be...I try to take it as a compliment but when I get this reaction I somehow am reminded how fat and gross I was....

Now, I feel great and look pretty good for a woman my age....I do have alot of lose skin and would like to eventually do something about it but financially it's not a priority for me.

This journey has been hard, but not impossible....sucess happens without even trying, so if you are reading this and wondering if you will have the same success you just have to believe that you will....it's almost impossible not to ;-)

Well this month has not produced the results I would have liked...I guess I jinxed myself by saying I would be happy just not to regain. I've been between 176.5 and 178 all month....don't know why this is fluxuating but it is what it is...I need to exercise now to get things moving but I just haven't been motivated to do anything but a few streching moves.

My size is still 12/14, with only 3-4 lbs down this month that's not really all that surprising either. I've gotten lax on taking all my vitamins and some days I don't take any...so do as I say not as I do.

Here's to tomorrow...where I will begin all over again.

Well today is my six month anniversary of VSG surgery! I'm weighing in at 181 and wearing a size 12/14! Not bad for a 51 1/2 year old gramma with bad knees that started at 298.8 lbs 2 years ago! The journey is not going as quickly as I'd like but I am still very happy with the current results (if that makes sense). I know this may sound horrible, since I'm not at my "goal" weight" but I would be satisfied if I just didn't gain...I'm just so used to regaining after weight loss that I guess I have low expectations of myself. I eat everything but rice and bread, just in very small portions. I struggle with water and protein but I try again each day...some are better than others. Mostly, I forget to drink or eat since I'm not hungry...and then when I do I can eat so little that it's hard to get it in with my remaining waking hours.

I'm not going to lie, the first month was pure hell...especially with the gallbladder surgery, but each month got better and I feel really quite normal (except for maybe my sense of humor). Shopping in the "regular" sizes, sitting comfortably (except for my boney ass that hurts when I sit too long) in any chair, crossing my legs (even in the car), enjoying the way my husband looks at me (like he did over 35 years ago). All so worth the pain and suffering for a few months, I would do it all over again and again and again, if I had to...but I'm pretty sure just one time will do the trick.

i hope to be at my doctor's goal weight (164) by my one year anniversary...only 17 more pounds to go. My ultimate goal is 150 lbs and a size 10 (what I wore my senior year of high school). Wish me luck!

Five months out and the weight loss has really slowed. I seem to be able to eat more in the day than at night, although I do like to have a snack after dinner. Dinner is still small and mostly just a couple of onces of dense protein. Still having problems getting my water in but I keep trying. I'm at 189 and holding. The only thing I haven't eaten is white rice and white bread. I've had a few bites of whole wheat pasta but not much as I am trying to avoid that as well.

I get lots of great compliments at work, especially from those people who havent' seen me in awhile. I'm in a size 14 and some are a little big but I'm waiting before I move into 12s since you start to fly by the sizes. I hate to admit this, because I still have 25 pounds to lose to get to goal, but I would be happy at my current size. If I can just stay in "onederland" I'll be happy. I know that sounds horrible but at almost 300lbs when I started I am happy at 189...lose skin aside.

I need to post photos, but I hate to ask people to take them for me ;-)

My how time flies! Went for a check-up last week. My surgeon's office likes to see you between 4 & 5 months, and everything went well. I'm down to 192, which means I've lost over 60% of my excess body weight since the surgery. The nutritionalist said that they expect people to lose 50% at a year out so i'm ahead of the game.

Labs came back good, except for a little low on potasium. Changing some of the vitamins up now...don't have to take Beta Caratine and and can take less of the B1. Also, I'm switching to a new mulitivitamin with iron. This makes me a little nervous since I already have some problems with constipation.

Over all, I have more energy. My knees are slightly better but not great. Everyone tells me how great I look. My son came to pick me up at work the other day and her had to do a double take because he didn't realize it was me and he lives with us...guess you just get used to seeing someone everyday in the same environment and don't realize how they are changing.

I still can't eat very much at one time, especially dense protein. Not drinking the shakes anymore, just got sick of them and they really don't satisfy my craving to chew something. For some unknown reason, I seem to do better with beef than chicken or tuna which is really strange. Eggs still don't go down well on their own....never was big on eggs.

Although it hasn't been easy, I would do it all over again. I hope that my decision for weight loss surgery will add years to my life so I can see my granddaughter (and maybe more grandchildren) grow up. But if not, at least I will be a much healthier and more energetic person while I'm still here ;-)

Well I'm just over three months out and finally hit onderland after a three month stall. I had only been eating around 400-600(max) calories a day, not getting in only about 1/2 the recommended protein, and struggling with water intake. This last week, for some unknown reason, I was able to up both my protein and calories (still working on the water) and I managed to drop the couple pounds to get me under 200 (like I said...took me since New Year's Eve until 1/29). I was almost convinced that I had lost all the weight I was going to lose and I would have been happy with that. I get so many compliments now on how great I look (even been called "skinny" but some friends and colleagues) and can shop in the regular sizes (wearing 14 in most things, except 16 in jeans - guess they run tighter). My energy level is getting better now, almost fully recovered from the gallbladder surgery and the Vertigo is almost gone. Now to work on getting some exercise without damaging my knees any more (osteoarthritis in both and need knee replacement but waiting as long as possible).

Well, let's see what happens in the next few weeks...maybe I can get down another size.

Well today is Monday, January 3, 2011 and I went back to work after a 7 week recovery period from my Gallbladder surgery. My weight loss has been pretty slow since Thanksgiving but I'm fine with that for two reasons: 1) It's too expensive to change sizes so often and, 2) My skin is already sagging so maybe losing slower will give me less saggy skin (since I haven't been able to do any "real" exercise). I am at 204.5...only 4.5 more lbs to lose before Onderland!

Christmas is a blur...it was nice...but too fast...it always is. I did fine, I had a bite hear and a nibble there of a cookie or candy but never ate a whole cookie or piece of anything. I really didn't eat much at any of the gatherings but I also didn't feel hungry to that was good. I did miss being able to eat it but I wasn't hungry so I really didn't "crave it." I know, it's weird.

 I still have trouble eating much at any one time. Learning to slow down is difficult, just when I think I have it mastered I find myself hungry and get a taste of something really good and chow down the first bite and quickly stuff another and another and then...oooops...did I just do that again. ... and up it comes. Frankly, I would have walked over hot coals barefoot rather than vomit but now if I get myself into this situation (which I hope I don't) then it feels better to throw up than to have the horrible stuck feeling in my chest. I still don't understand why it hurts in your chest and doesn't go down into the stomach like before (I didn't have surgery on my esophagus). So I've done this 3 times now (once really early when I tried tuna on my first day of mushies). There are no excuses, follow the rules and it works. Don't follow the rules and you have to suffer the consequences. I hope I can learn to follow the rules!

I had another little health issue on New Year's Eve...I had a fever of 101.5, headache, and severe back ache so I thought maybe I had another gallstone stuck in my bile duct. The Urgent Care PA did the usual urine and blood work and determined I just had a virus and also diagnosed me with Vertigo (I forgot to mention I have been dizzy -room spining dizzy), gave me meds for all and sent me on to wait for 2hours for the perscription. So in short, I spent New Years in bed.

All in all, I would have to say that I am doing fine. I know I would be further along my weight loss path had it not been for the Gallbladder surgery...that one almost killed me! I still have alot of soreness and have trouble getting up and down or even reaching for the car door to shut it!. LOL I'll check back soon so I will at least have something to look at to see how I got to where I'm going...